Fading Flower
by Ender McAuthor
Summary: When the princess is enchanted with a spell, she is forced to endure hell itself. But when Gumball gets pulled into the situation by a mysterious messenger, will he be able to take the princess to the Whithering Mountains in time? Or will his quest change his fate?


**Fading Flower**  
**by**  
**Ender McAuthor**

**Chapter 1**

In the morning, Gumball stretched and walked out of his cramped stone house, into the narrow street, seeing the disgusting view of his neighbourhood - cobblestone houses cramped together, as if they were just big rooms within an enormous building. He was going south of the city, to the fields where his mother, Nicole, helped improving his sword fighting. Life as a swordsman is as tough as it sounds like - the sweat flowing down from your skin to the ground, as you sway your sword against your enemy. And the dedication required was a whole life's span. Gumball, despite these appalling requirements, pursued his lessons. He knew that one day he might be assigned to work for the King, or a job with the same handsome salary.

The blue cat hid his sword on is belt, in an attempt to hide any evidence of him being a swordsman. It never worked anyway. Carmen, a lady who lived in a dark house a few lengths down the alleyway, would always notice. It wasn't only her who'd notice. Once Gumball arrives to the fields, a coach would come around, once or twice a week, with the Princess in it. She would always wave or do a thumbs up towards him. This week, though, Gumball didn't hear any galloping nor the squeak of the carriage wheels. Nicole noticed it too. She said once that Madam Princess ain't wanting to go anywhere this week.

Gumball approached the empty green fields, unsheathing his sword. He looked around with caution. He knew that a person can just leap unto him, and stab him through the heart. He heard footsteps from behind, causing him to turn and point the sword at the neck of the person behind him. There stood a Royal Messenger, wearing red and yellow unlike the usual blue and white, silent because of the sword beneath his chin. Gumball inserted his sword into his sheath. He groaned.

"What brings your presence?" Gumball asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Did Anais dissect another dead person?"

"No," the messenger replied, shaking his head. "The King seeks your acquaintance."

"So you expect me to go to the palace right now?" the swordsman groaned, starting to walk towards the palace.

Then the cat felt breaths from his back. Behind him was a beautiful white horse. It neighed, forcing itself onto Gumball's paw. Gumball ruffled its mane, receiving neighs from the beautiful creature. It was like a blessing.

"Did you get me this horse?" the blue cat stammered, to now was emptiness.

Gumball smiled and got onto the horse. The white horse galloped into the roads, probably making one or two market stalls fall. The swordsman felt the feeling of youth again - free to do anything he wished. As Gumball rode on, feeling the breeze flow through him, he thought deeply of his past. I have always wanted a horse, Gumball thought, ever since I was a child. But then he remembered that awful time, when he did something, in his young age, which almost brought the kingdom to ruins. The pain - he felt it once more. It got stronger and stronger, until it was hard to bear. Gumball bit his lip so hard that it bled. He just kept quiet.

Once the two were in a reasonable distance from the gate, it opened slowly, inviting the swordsman inside. The King waited until the blue cat entered with his sword. He was rather surprised finding the cat saddled on a horse. Gumball looked at him with an indifferent look, kneeling as he did so. The man was a peanut with a worn face. His skin was far from fair, especially near his frowning lips. His antlers drooped, far from as much as his daughter. His eyes just glared at Gumball, with dark, piercing eyes. The swordsman replied with a similar glare.

"What do you ask of me," Gumball paused, thinking of what to add, "your majesty?"

The King croaked, "Have you master all the lands in Everdale?"

Gumball shook his head. "Why do you ask so?"

He noticed the monarch's frown enlarge. "My granddaughter, Penny, was enchanted with a spell that will... send her mind through the realm of  
hell."

Gumball rose one of eyebrows, in confusion.

"So what is this? Is this urgent? What do I do?"

"She gets burns every morning - each of which will near her to death."

Gumball felt the feeling of hurry through his body. He looked at the king, right in the eye, and frowned in a more exaggerated manner.

"How may I support you in this... exhibition?"

The king smiled slightly. "Take Penny to the Whithering Mountains and inside the sorceress' palace."

"And why am I the one directed to do so? Why not any other..."

"Do not question my decisions." The King became a bit sour towards Gumball. "You were prophesied to do so."

Gumball nodded, who was simply trying to stop talking to the already annoyed king.

"I'll call Penny... Speak of the devil!"

Gumball stood and turned around to see a rather droopy but beautiful girl - a peanut with antlers, like her grandfather. She wore her usual attire she wore in travels and formal meetings - a blossom pink and peachy dress. She tried smiling, upon seeing Gumball's face. Then she turned towards her grandfather.

"Grandfather... I dreamt of it again."

"Penny, before anything, may I introduce you Gumball..." He never finished his phrase. He would usually choke on his own tongue.

"...Tristopher Watterson," the princess added, taking small glances at the cat, "the best and probably the most skilled of swordsmen."

Gumball looked at Penny as if he was a basic levelled student learning linear algebra as Penny was blushing by her own words.

"Very well. You have met each other," the King nodded. "Gumball will lead and accompany you to the Whithering Mountains."

Penny looked at her grandfather with disgust. She stormed towards him and sourly spoke, "I am sick and I only need aiding. You promised me no unnecessary travels to everywhere. Besides - you have ordered people there."

The King groaned. "Youth cannot be brought back! You only need the vial!"

Penny started to lose her feeling of rant. Seriousness came back to her, as she breathed in and out. She approached Gumball, taking his hand with haste. She started forcing the swordsman towards the stables, where his horse was. Gumball,however, was quite embarrassed being pulled by the princess in front of servants and cooks. But he wondered why Penny was so sour to her own grandfather. He always answered to himself, they're royals and they fell from the stars. He obviously knew that they were not solar people neither people dropped from the sky. Gumball was educated enough to know logic.

"Be as fast as possible," heard he; "for my precious Penny herself may die any moment!"

When they reached the stables, they got onto Gumball's horse, as hasty as possible, to bring the princess in time. She held onto Gumball's shoulders as the white horse galloped down the yellow coated meadows. The trees from the alleyways and forests started to shed, for it was already the start of autumn. And so they left, unaware of a pair of eyes that glared from the castle gates. He turned away, towards the grounds of the castle.

"So it begins," said he, "the first days of the everlasting winter."

Gumball scanned the houses for any attackers. Many attackers, as he call them, would target people, mostly royals. He heard that the princess' mother and father were killed because of them. But the girl behind him, however, didn't mind the danger and felt the wind, as if she was free after a long time, caged in a cell.

The swordsman loosened up his senses when it was the outskirts, where nobody, in his opinion, can hurt the princess. The green meadows seemed endless - for they kept going on the cobblestone road for what seemed like hours. The princess started leaning on Gumball's back - like an early way to say 'your my hero', though, you would, if you were her.

"Did you notice me when you were practising?" asked she; "I would consider that our first meeting."

"That wasn't," muttered the cat, so silent that not even the smallest cricket can hear, "and I wouldn't tell when for you would only have pain to remember."

Night fell, and it was so dark that the road was no longer visible enough. Gumball decided that it was time to rest. So, the two got off the horse. The swordsman set out the tent and the campfire while the princess merely dawdled. When Gumball finished, he started to cook. Penny wasn't excited. She knew that camp food usually wasn't delicious. They would've been smouldered with flies or were sausages. Never had she eaten sausages.

Gumball passed her a spoon and a bowl. A formal dinner, thought the princess. Back in those days, people thought that persons with spoons paired with bowls were very formal. Those who didn't would be considered as barbarians or outsiders. But the truth was that they themselves were outsiders themselves.

Gumball filled her bowl with soup and filled his. He just started finishing it - without prompting Penny at all. That was a change for her. She was all used to be called before dinner or told off but this time, she wasn't required anything. But when Gumball left after finishing, without a word, Penny decided to literally drink the bowl. And so, she did. Then she ran into the tent and dug into the blanket beside Gumball. He, however, didn't feel so comfortable with Penny. She was too royal - for him at least. And so, they slept.

"Penny!"

Penny stood next to a wall of fire that separated her from the people calling her. They were so familiar to Penny's ears. The fire raged, burning her elbow. She looked up at the fire then the blurred figures. She scratched her elbow and looked at the figures.

"Help me!" the figures shouted.

Penny ran up and down but the fire was surrounding the figures. Penny stopped.

"ARE YOU STUPID! YOU COULD'VE SAVED ME! YOU DISGRACEFUL MEMBER! HOW DARE YOU!" another deep voice, deeper than the other two voices.

"I will save you!" shouted Penny, with tears in her eyes.

And then Penny ran into the fire, waking up, from a dream. It was still dark and the crickets still chirped. Penny looked beside her, to see that there was no Gumball beside her. She heard grunts from outside. She dared to peek, to see the swordsman swaying his sword in the air. The princess walked out and sat by the now dead campfire.

"Hello, Lady… PENNY BEHIND THE TENT!"

Penny then saw an arrow fly just by her face. She grabbed a bow and ran behind Gumball. They were surrounded by five men, each with bows and swords. Gumball tapped on Penny's shoulder and pulled his thumb up.

"We want the princess right now or else I'll…" she shot an arrow through his arm, starting a whole mess. Gumball sliced the feet of some men as the princess aimed for hands. These men eventually ran away, leaving the two with twenty men. "Do not mess with Fullerton or else you suffer."

Then all of the men collapsed, while an eerie chant was heard from the back of them. From the bottom of the hill came a ghoul, fair in appearance and a power so titanic as the universe. She smirked.

"You two work together good," said the ghost, "but not good enough."

"Who are you?" Penny asked, scared.

"For your information, my name is Carrie Sandra Krueger," the ghost said indifferently. "I prefer Carrie."

* * *

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